SANTA FE, N.M. — A judge in New Mexico has reaffirmed her earlier ruling to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin in connection with the accidental shooting that resulted in the death of a cinematographer on the set of a Western film.

On Thursday, state District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer confirmed her July decision to eliminate the involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin. The case was dismissed partway through the trial due to claims that relevant evidence had been withheld from the defense regarding the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while filming “Rust.”

Complications arose in Baldwin’s trial after it came to light that a man had delivered ammunition to the Santa Fe County sheriff’s office in March, suggesting it might be linked to Hutchins’ death. Prosecutors determined that the ammunition was not pertinent, while Baldwin’s defense team argued that the evidence had been intentionally overlooked, leading to a successful motion for dismissal.

Now, the special prosecutor, Kari Morrissey, has the option to appeal the decision to a higher court.

Baldwin, who served as both the lead actor and co-producer for the film, was reportedly aiming a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the gun discharged, resulting in Hutchins’ death and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin maintains that he cocked the hammer of the revolver without pulling the trigger, which led to the firearm firing.

In a separate development, earlier this year, a judge sentenced Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s weapons supervisor, to a maximum of 1.5 years in a state prison after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter over the incident that resulted in Hutchins’ death. Gutierrez-Reed has since requested Judge Marlowe Sommer to either dismiss her conviction or to hold a new trial, citing that prosecutors failed to provide evidence that could potentially exonerate her.